Parents arrested for allegedly beating their infant daughter
By Corey Howard
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ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — The parents, Jessica Bruseulas and Johnathan Castillo, are now behind bars in Albuquerque, facing multiple charges, including child abuse resulting in great bodily harm.
According to court documents, law enforcement is uncertain if the child will survive, as she was exposed to narcotics and beaten numerous times. Medical personnel informed investigators that the infant sustained multiple brain hemorrhages, a fractured skull, and bruising to her head.
They also said the child was in critical condition and not expected to survive the night.
“Just a horrific story of a young infant whose life has been marked by incredibly horrifying physical abuse,” John Day, KOAT legal expert and a former prosecutor, said.
Bruseulas told detectives that her boyfriend, Castillo, often used fentanyl and meth and became extremely violent while on drugs. She said Castillo would strike the infant with a closed fist for making noises, a pattern of abuse that began when the child was just two months old.
“Right now, at least the charges pending are looking at a range of sentencing from six years up to 18 years, depending on other charges,” a source said.
The court documents reveal that Bruseulas attempted to stop Castillo, but he would attack her. When investigators asked why she didn’t reach out to police, she said she was terrified.
“Was there nobody else in this child’s life that saw this going on and couldn’t step in to intervene?” Day questioned. “And you’ve got, in this case, both the mother and the father charged, the mother charged particularly with failing to report child abuse on the theory that she let this occur and didn’t do anything to stop it.”
The initial court appearance for Bruseulas and Castillo has not been set yet.
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